Day 24. What's up?

Sleep? What sleep?

Sleeping has been minimal to non-existent since Monday. Scratching, being a big part of it, but the inability to find a comfortable position has been the main culprit. I'm restless and uncomfortable. My right ear is cracked, swollen, and oozing/bleeding... Let's not forget, ITCHY!!!! Resting my head on that side is out of the question. The ooze stuck to my pillow case, so sexy, I know. My back is also getting pretty red and rashy, which is a first. Wearing a bra, let alone a t-shirt seems like a daunting task. On a side note, I'm lucky my man loves me so much, because I seriously feel grotesque right now.

So, in addition to smoking pot to deter my attention, I've also been using Benadryl when I cannot stop scratching. I try to keep that as an option, not really a solution. Like I've said before, I don't particularly care to take anymore pills than I need to. I also don't want my body to become immune to it, because it has really helped me stop the scratching AND sleep. I can't speak for anyone else, but Benadryl makes me feel like I popped a horse tranquilizer. Night, night! So, I can only take one in the evening, and it typically takes about an hour to kick in, for me anyway. 

Diet. Ok, it does NOT help that I have a horrible diet and when I do eat, it's not much. I will seriously eat bacon for dinner. That's it, bacon. I'm trying to change that right now. I don't know if there is any direct correlation with how it affects withdrawal, I know this is another one of those trial and error type deals. But, it is just more reason for me to stop eating like a college bachelor. Currently, I'm drinking 2 liters (or more) of water each day. I've been adding oranges, lemons and basil to my water as well. It's a great detox and quite refreshing. Also, might make it a bit easier to drink more water if you already have a difficult time with your daily intake. I have also made a solid effort to eat 3 decent meals per day. I don't get cray with it, keep it simple, minor adjustments... One step at a time. I have also started taking a daily probiotic. Which I will say, if nothing else, at least it gets rid of a lot of extra bloat. Tried and true, friends!

With that said, here are a few photo updates:

Okay, so I realize that I look super unhappy in my pics, but I'm totally not. It just hurts to smile at the moment. The right side of my face is taking the brunt of it today. It is really hot/burning and again, uncomfortable, so I've had ice packs on it for the last 2 hours. The inner creases of my arms continue to be a nuisance. I actually scratch more there than anywhere else.

I know that my skin feels a lot worse than it looks and that's the crappy part. When people say "it doesn't look that bad, just like a bad sunburn", I'm like, "yes, you're right, this is totally comparable to a severe sunburn... When you have 2nd degree burns!" Bye Felicia!

With all that said, in comparison to what kind of withdrawal symptoms I've seen with others, mine have not been THAT bad. Because of that, I'm still shaking in my boots, waiting for it. This seems like the calm before the storm. :/